One of my favorite stories of all time is Star Wars. I know, cliche and mainstream, but the combination of a beautiful story, epic sci-fi visuals, and space travel ignite my imagination. One element of these movies which I find partiuclarly interesting is the conflict between the light and dark side of the force. The light side represents all that is supposedly "good": benevolence, peace, justice, calmness, wisdom, and thoughtful judgement. Often compared to a flowing river, those devoted to the light side aim to be constant, smooth, but to posses confident strength behind their calm flow. On the other hand, the dark side represents the use of passion and emotion to glorify the strength of the individual. This release of emotion, often includes love, which as all yoda-followers know, leads to hatred. Consequently, the dark side is often perceived as simply evil, as they are guided by selfish emotion which frequently harms others.
This conflict of the force is omnipresent in the universe, including in Anakin Skywalker, and Creon of Thebes. Both find themselves in position of power, Anakin found the force and Creon the throne. They both fall victim to the easy addictiveness of the dark side and let their emotions control them. Anakin's love for Padme results in his conversion to the Sith out of a desperate desire to save her. Creon's love of the law and power results in a selfish pride and anger for Antigone's insults to his pride. He allows dark side jealousy to guide him. Creon also preaches the importance of family loyalty and love to Haimond, indicating love for family also guides the tyrant king. Both characters face deathly ironic punishment for their choice of emotion over reason. In a moment of blinding rage, Anakin kills the woman he loved and Creon looses his only remaining son. The two tragic heros, however, learn from their punishments and recognize their flawed choice of the dark side by their stories' ends. Anakin, now Darth Vader, yields to the benevolent law of the gods and kills the emperor, the embodiment of passion and emotion. He saves the galaxy from the dark side. Creon begs for punishment from the Gods wailing, "has no one a blow for me?" Anakin Skywalker and Creon of Thebes are both tragic heroes ironically punished for their choice of the dark side of the force.
This conflict of the force is omnipresent in the universe, including in Anakin Skywalker, and Creon of Thebes. Both find themselves in position of power, Anakin found the force and Creon the throne. They both fall victim to the easy addictiveness of the dark side and let their emotions control them. Anakin's love for Padme results in his conversion to the Sith out of a desperate desire to save her. Creon's love of the law and power results in a selfish pride and anger for Antigone's insults to his pride. He allows dark side jealousy to guide him. Creon also preaches the importance of family loyalty and love to Haimond, indicating love for family also guides the tyrant king. Both characters face deathly ironic punishment for their choice of emotion over reason. In a moment of blinding rage, Anakin kills the woman he loved and Creon looses his only remaining son. The two tragic heros, however, learn from their punishments and recognize their flawed choice of the dark side by their stories' ends. Anakin, now Darth Vader, yields to the benevolent law of the gods and kills the emperor, the embodiment of passion and emotion. He saves the galaxy from the dark side. Creon begs for punishment from the Gods wailing, "has no one a blow for me?" Anakin Skywalker and Creon of Thebes are both tragic heroes ironically punished for their choice of the dark side of the force.